While having a drink with Dax, Worf is taken by the sight of Grilka, a Klingon woman, as she enters the station with Tumek and her guard, Thopok. Worf falls instantly in love, and watches, horrified, as Grilka kisses Quark. Grilka is Quark's ex-wife, thanks to a complicated marriage of convenience. Undaunted, Worf decides to pursue Grilka, and tries to capture her attention at Quark's. He is crushed when Tumek says that, since Worf is dishonored among Klingons, Grilka can never mate with him. Tumek then adds insult to injury by commenting that Worf's human upbringing shows he knows nothing about how to pursue a Klingon woman.

Later, Quark asks Worf and Dax for help. Grilka has invited him to dinner in her quarters, and he has no idea what to do. Despite his feelings for Grilka, Worf offers some courtship pointers and the evening is a huge success. Quark thanks Worf enthusiastically for his help, commenting that Worf seems to have the key to Grilka's heart. Quark asks Worf to help him win Grilka and, seeing it as a chance to prove he knows plenty about Klingon women, Worf agrees.

In a holosuite, Worf and Dax help Quark act out a Klingon battle scene, which bores Quark until he learns that the fight culminates with the male and female warrior joining in mad, passionate love. Later that night, after he and Grilka have apparently acted out the ritual on their own, Grilka and Quark share a romantic drink. Watching them outrages Thopok, and he challenges Quark to fight to the death.

Quark's situation is hopeless — if he doesn't fight, he loses Grilka. If he does, he loses his life. But Dax has an idea. Worf uses a virtual control device to move Quark's body, effectively fighting for him. With the plan ready, Dax questions Worf about his attraction to Grilka andhints that he should pursue someone more attainable. Worf, however, is clueless to Dax's advances. Later, the battle begins, and with Worf hidden in a holosuite controlling Quark's every move, the Ferengi performs admirably — at least until Worf accidentally damages the virtual control device. Quark is left defenseless in the middle of the battle of his life.

Quark stops the fight and, realizes he must come up with a solution, stalls. Pretending that Ferengi tradition demands that he make a lengthy speech about his beloved, he begins talking about Grilka, while Worf and Dax rush to fix the virtual control device. They are successful, and the fight is on again — Quark quickly knocks Thopok to the floor. But instead of killing his opponent, Worf has Quark deliver his sword to Grilka, allowing her to discharge Thopok while letting him retain his honor. Now alone, Quark and Grilka fall all over each other passionately. Elsewhere, alone with Dax, Worf finally succumbs to her advances, realizing that his ideal woman may have been in front of him all along.